Welcoming the Bransons
by ShanniMc
Summary: The arrival of the Bransons at Downton and the reactions of those upstairs and downstairs.
1. Part I

Note: I am going to try and be as canon as possible, so I'm putting in a season 3 spoiler warning for those who might not be as obsessed as me and scour the internet looking at filming pictures, articles, and interviews and are not aware of certain things

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these wonderful characters. They belong to Julian Fellows.

* * *

Welcoming the Bransons

Tom stepped out of the car first so that he could help his wife down. "Like old times." He whispered.

Sybil gave him a small smile, which then turned into a huge grin at the sight of their welcoming party."Hello everyone!"

"Sybil, my dear, I'm so happy you're here!" Lady Grantham wrapped her youngest daughter in a tight hug.

"Sorry we're running a bit behind schedule."

"Oh not to worry, you're here now, and dinner can wait-right Carson?" She called back to the butler standing by the door.

"Certainly, my lady." Carson dutifully answered, even though he wasn't entirely comfortable with the prospect.

"Hello Carson." Sybil said as her mother greeted Tom, who thanked her for inviting them to Downton.

"Good evening, Lady Sybil and Mr. Branson. Welcome back."

By now, Mary and Edith had both hugged their sister, and started congratulating the couple on their baby news. Originally, Sybil had wanted to wait and tell her sisters in person, but before this trip was planned, she was not sure how soon she would get the chance. She knew that she had to tell her mother sooner rather than later because it was something she would become very upset over if it was withheld from her. Sybil also wasn't sure if her mother could keep such news from her sisters for long without bursting. When Lady Grantham had come over to Dublin, Sybil and Tom decided that they would allow her to inform the rest of the family, which she was overjoyed about, and Sybil would write it in her letters to Mary and Edith. Standing in front of them now, she realized she was glad she did not wait, for it would have been obvious the minute she stepped out of the car and they would not have appreciate waiting so long either.

"Why don't we continue this later, Sybil and Tom need to get ready for dinner, which I am sure they are eager to do after their trip." Cora suggested and then started to usher them all inside.

As soon as everyone was inside though, they were met by Lord Grantham, whom the couple was most anxious about seeing.

The atmosphere had thickened with anticipation and tension. Even though Sybil and Tom had parted cordially with her father, since then, he had become quite distant. He did not attend their wedding, did not personally write his own congratulations concerning the baby, and did not accompany his wife to Dublin. It was clear that while he _allowed _this all to happen, he was not comfortable with it and therefore, no was really sure what was going to happen when he was confronted with them in person.

Sybil was quick to try and start them on the right foot though. "Papa, I was wondering where you were." She cheerfully said and then went straight for a hug before he could say anything.

When they separated, he mumbled an excuse, "One of my cuff links fell off and I had to go back and find it." He failed to mention that he loosened it himself in order to buy him more time to prepare. He of course already knew about Sybil's...condition, but seeing it was another thing. Before, there was a chance of it not being real. She could come back, but without the chauffeur. Now as they both stood there in front of him, there was proof it was all real.

Lord Grantham held out his hand and addressed Tom by his first name because he found he was more comfortable saying it instead of the last name his daughter now had. The following handshake did not last very long.

Sybil took her father addressing Tom by his first name as a good sign. "I've missed you something terrible, Papa." She truthfully admitted.

It was hard for Tom to stand there in front of his father-in-law and restrain himself from going into detail about how much she really did miss him; how the idea that she might have to walk down the aisle alone slowly ate away at her until she broke down in front of her sisters after they arrived in Dublin and she realized no one else from her family would be coming. But Tom had made her a promise that he would be as civil as possible.

"And I you, but we shall catch up during dinner. I can tell Carson is getting antsy, and probably Mrs. Patmore. I will let you go to your rooms to change."

Sybil's eyebrows scrunched together and she quickly looked around at the rest of her family, who were all dressed for dinner.

Tom noticed as well. "Rooms?"

"As in more than one? As in separate?" Sybil further explained.

Robert feigned ignorance, "What's wrong?"

"Papa, you don't really mean for us to stay in separate rooms, do you?"

"Yes, I do. What is the problem with that?"

Sybil became defensive. "I don't know if you realize, but Tom and I are married now. We have been married for several months. And we are having a baby. Why would you want to split us up?"

Tom inwardly winced at her choice of words and very nearly voiced his thoughts of how it was something the Earl wanted to happen, but he bit his tongue. He would not break his promise so easily. Lady Grantham had also taken his aside during her visit to warn him not to let Sybil become too stressed-physically and emotionally.

Lord Grantham interpreted his daughter's tone more so as one of attack, so he slightly raised his voice, "This is my house-"

"Robert!" Cora hissed as she pulled him away. "Would you please calm down. You are being childish. And you know full well we agreed that if they didn't want to be apart, we wouldn't stop them."

Robert sighed in defeat. She was right. They had made a decision together about it, but he had hoped the couple would not want to put up a fight. He nodded to his wife and then turned back to Sybil and Tom, "I'm sorry, it's just a hard pill to swallow. Yes, you may share a room."

"Thank you, Papa." Sybil said softly before leading her husband away from the scene.

"But no fooling around!" Lord Grantham called after them in order to try and regain some power.

Neither of them acknowledged the comment.

Cora frowned at her husband, who put his hands up and said, "I do not want any more reasons for me to think of what happens behinid closed doors."


	2. Part II

Once the door closed, both Sybil and Tom let out the deep breaths they were holding.

"What an odd feeling." Sybil thought aloud as she stepped further into the room.

Tom closed the distance between them."What?"

"To be back in my old room. It looks almost exactly the way I left it."

"Your old room..." Tom repeated and then it hit him-he was standing in her old room! When he had worked here, he used to imagine what it was like. He could hardly believe he was standing in it now and that he would be staying in it-with her. He looked around. It was much larger than their room back in Dublin. There were a few paintings on the walls, but nothing too grand compared to others found throughout the house. He liked how the vanity and the desk were both placed in front of the windows and how bright and inviting the room was overall. Yes, he could certainly see this being her room.

His examination was put to a halt when Sybil kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thank you for remaining civil with my father, even when he wasn't."

"I do not want to cause any trouble. I would have agreed to sleeping in separate rooms if he had demanded it. But then I wouldn't get a wink of sleep, so thank you for sticking up for us."

"The whole matter was quite silly to begin with. Papa knows I would sneak into your room every night anyway." Sybil said with a mischievous look in her eyes.

There was a knock on the door and they braced themselves for who it could be. Tom walked over and opened the door to find Anna and an unfamiliar footman holding their suitcases.

"Here, let me get those." Tom took the suitcases and laid them on the bed.

"Oh, Anna, come in. And you must be one of the new footmen." Sybil assumed, referring to the tall redheaded boy.

Anna introduced him, "Lady Sybil, Mr. Branson, this is Alfred. He's only been here a few months." Alfred stood there nervously, not knowing if he should say anything.

"Pleased to meet you. And Anna, you do not have to call me that anymore." She looked over to her husband and offhandedly added, "Tom only uses it to tease me." Tom tried to hide his grin as Sybil continued, "I just started getting comfortable with 'Mrs. Branson,' which you, and everyone else for that matter, may call me."

Tom smiled proudly at hearing Sybil say that about the name they now shared.

Anna's eyes flickered between the couple and she too smiled, "As you wish, and will you be needing help getting changed?"

"I shouldn't, but I could use your company for a minute or two." Sybil then set her gaze on Tom and Alfred.

It took Tom a second to realize the boy was waiting for orders, "I won't be needing anything, so you may go." Alfred nodded his head and quickly left the room.

"He seems like a nice boy." Sybil commented as she started unpacking her things.

"He is, which is surprising, considering the fact that his aunt is O'Brien." Anna informed them.

"Really?" Tom recalled the boy's face in his mind to try and find a resemblance.

Anna nodded, "I try not to let him near her and Mr. Barrow for too long though, in case he starts participating in their scheming or whatever it is they do."

Sybil was thrown off by the name, "Mr. Barrow?"

"What Thomas likes to remind us all his new title is." Anna could barely hide her disdain.

Sybil remembered that Thomas is her father's valet now since Mr. Bates is still in prison. "Oh I'm sorry Anna, I did not realize."

Anna waved her off. "It's all right. You've been away."

"How is Mr. Bates?" Tom asked.

"Eager to come home" Anna simply answered. She suddenly seemed paler and was starting to get choked up over the prospect of having to re-tell and re-live the last several months.

Sybil put a reassuring hand on her arm. "I am sure it can't be much longer now."

"I was thinking of perhaps visiting him, if it is okay with you." Tom declared.

Anna seemed to regain some color at the thought of someone else visiting her husband, who did not get many visitors. "Of course I'm okay with it. He would enjoy a visit from you. And you don't need to ask my permission."

When Sybil expressed her wanting to accompany him, Tom's brow furrowed. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

Tom tried to think of the best way to answer her so that she would not get offended. "It's not safe there."

"Then why are you going? And what about Anna? I'm sure she's been there more than once."

Anna stepped in to try and save him. "If I may say so, I agree with Mr. Branson. Yes, I have been there several times, but it still gives me a fright each time I go, and my nerves are mighty frayed by the time I leave."

Tom silently thanked her. "Look, either I go or neither of us go."

When Sybil saw that she was outnumbered by two dear people who were just concerned about her, she gave in. "Fine. Mama wouldn't let me go anyway."

"Thank you. Anna, we won't keep you any longer. We should really get changed." Tom said apologetically.

"Very well. Let me know if you need anything."

Once the door closed, Tom went over to Sybil and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I might have let you come if not for the baby. I just don't want anything to happen to you two."

"Don't be sorry. I know you worry about me. About us."

"We really should get going, I do not want to give your father adding tardiness to his list of cons against us."

The atmosphere around the dinner table was thankfully lightened by the presence of Matthew, Mrs. Crawley, and the Dowager Countess, all of whom had arrived just before they were supposed to go in for dinner and thus were only briefly filled in on what happened earlier with Lord Grantham.

In an attempt to ease the tension, Tom spoke up and sad, "Mr. Matthew. Lady Mary. We would like to congratulate you both, in person, on your engagement."

"Why thank you." Matthew said sincerely.

"How are preparations going?" Sybil asked.

"Just a few things left to sort out." Mary answered and then smiled excitedly at her fiance.

"That's good. And Mama, when will grandmama be arriving?"

"Only a few days before the wedding."

"And she'll be needing those days to catch up with everything that's happened here." Granny said with a hint of enthusiasm.

Cora tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at the Dowager Countess. She then directed her attention to her son-in-law. "Speaking of mothers, how is yours, Tom?"

"Quite well, thank you." When Lady Grantham had first come to Dublin and met his mother, he was scared the two might butt heads, especially since he was aware how Lady Grantham and Mrs. Crawley did not often get along, but he and Sybil were pleasantly surprised how well the two matriarchs bonded over the prospect of a grandchild. It also helped that his mother-in-law was more accepting of him and his family once she realized what good hands her daughter was in.

Cora addressed the rest of the table and informed them, "While I was visiting, she cooked the most delicious Shepard's Pie. I gave Mrs. Patmore the recipe, but so far none of them have been as good as your mother's."

Tom smiled. "She will be glad to hear that."

Edith was eager to join in on the conversation with her brother-in-law. "Tom, you'll be pleased to know that Sir Anthony Strallan has started letting me drive him around in his car a few times, and he said you must have been an excellent teacher."

"I take that as a very high compliment. I will thank him if I see him."

Now that Edith found a topic she could discuss, she asked, "What do you think of our new chauffeur?"

"Edith." Her mother chastised, thinking Tom might be offended with talk of his replacement.

"It's all right." Tom assured her. "He's a bit stiff with the gears-"

Lord Grantham harrumphed and finally spoke. "Do you want me to find a new one to your liking?"

Tom knew Robert was just jealous of all the attention the he was getting, so he cooly responded. "Certainly not, milord. He's perfectly fine for the job."

Sybil's anger at her father's immaturity dissipated upon hearing Tom's response. He was handling it all very well. Possibly better than herself. She did think though that the new chauffeur was probably perfect for her father. When he had met them at the station, the man's wedding band did not escape her notice, nor did the shock white hair under his cap. Papa was not taking any chances.

The uncomfortable silence that followed was quickly broken by Mary."So, do you two have any predictions on whether the baby is a boy or a girl?"

"Mhm, though Tom and I are a bit torn. I think it's a boy." She turned to her husband.

"But I am convinced it's a girl." Tom finished.

Cora gave a tight-lipped smile and then offered some knowledge from her experience. "I'm sorry to tell you this Tom, but the mother is usually right."

"I can agree with that." Granny acknowledged.

Cora continued, "Robert and I were the same way with Mary and Edith; he thought they were going to be boys and I insisted they were going to be girls. Though your father decided to listen to me with you, Sybil."

Those who were looking for Lord Grantham's reaction caught a twitch of a smile.

He had not actually thought about the baby's gender that much. Now that he did think about it though, he realized that either way, it would hurt him. Would Tom succeed where he himself had failed and sire a son? Or would they have a daughter, who would undoubtedly be a spitting image of her mother-since the world seemed to work that way-and be a constant reminder of the choices Sybil made?

Before the dinner ended, Cora raised her glass and announced, "I would like to propose a toast! To Sybil, Tom, and their baby. I wish them health and happiness for many years to come. To the Bransons."

Everyone, even Robert, raised a glass. "To the Bransons."


	3. Part III

**A/N: This chapter was going to be much longer, but I decided to break it up so that I could give you something while I finish the next part. I am very sorry for the wait and will do my best to complete the next chapter soon! Please let me know what you think (even if it's to yell at me for working so slow)! And now, without further ado, here is Part III!**

* * *

"Before we get ready for bed, I would like to visit the servant's hall and say hello. You don't have to accompany me if you're too tired." He wanted to make the first move. He wanted to show them all that he did not forget where he started and that he would not be mistreating the power he had been given. Maybe they would be inspired to achieve higher and more fulfilling goals in their lives, like he and Gwen did. He didn't know exactly how he would be treated, but he would like to find out sooner rather than later.

"No, I'll join you. In fact, I want to talk to Mrs. Patmore."

"Oh I see. You want to tell her all about your fine cooking skills. Just be careful not to exaggerate." Tom teased.

"I'll be sure to tell them that whenever you try and help is when it goes bad." She playfully retorted.

As they walked down the stairs leading to the servants hall, they laughed at the memories of some of their mishaps in the kitchen during the early days of the marriage.

Mrs. Hughes walked over to the doorway by the stairs to investigate who the laughter was coming from and was surprised when she saw who the source was. She had not expected them to come downstairs, at least on their first day back, and her mind went blank on what Mr. Carson had told her to address them as.

"Good evening, Mrs. Hughes." Sybil said warmly and then motioned to the servants walking back and forth behind Mrs. Hughes, cleaning up the table. "Is this a bad time?"

Mrs. Hughes relaxed a bit. "Certainly not, they're almost done."

"We just wanted to pop in and say hello." Tom explained.

"Oh, well that's very kind of you." She paused, not sure what else to say. "You must be tired from your journey though, so I won't delay you." Mrs. Hughes said apologetically and then stepped out of the way.

They both smiled at her in thanks and then Sybil started to lead her husband further inside and towards Mrs. Patmore. It was then that Mrs. Hughes noticed that they were holding mind jumped back to the last time she saw them doing that at the Garden Party.

"Mr. Branson." She prepared to chastise him, forgetting that they were perfectly allowed to hold hands now.

Tom was caught off guard by her tone and stiffened a little. Sybil squeezed his hand.

"Go on." He assured her and then turned to the head housemaid.

By now, Mrs. Hughes had realized her mistake, and wanted to cover it up. "You...you proved me wrong, Mr. Branson. You have what sounds like a good job, from what I can tell, your heart looks nowhere near broken, and neither does hers."

It took Tom a second to figure out what she was referring too, but once he did, he smiled, and said "Thank you." Before she nodded, turned around, and walked away.

Thomas and his partner in crime next approached Tom. The valet looked Tom up and down and then in his usual sarcastic tone said, "Mr. Branson, a man of your status does not belong down here with the riff raff, but you probably just want to show off the prize you worked so hard to get." Tom narrowed his eyes at Thomas, who continued, "Although, I must admit I admire your genius plan to get out of here: cage the bird and then put a lock on it by knocking her up. I wish I had thought of it."

Anna, who had sensed trouble and stood next to Tom for support, gasped and Tom hissed,"How dare you!" though he kept his voice relatively low as to not draw the attention of Sybil and the small crowd gathered around her.

Thomas did not even flinch. Instead, he goaded Tom further. "If you had dared me, I would have gotten the job done quicker. You sure have a lot of patience. You had been trying for years from what I've heard upstairs."

Tom clenched his jaw and Anna put a hand on his arm to stop him from doing what Thomas wanted. "His Lordship will probably want to go to bed early tonight. Best not to keep him waiting."

When Thomas saw that he would not be getting his desired result anytime soon, he led O'Brian out into the hallway.

Anna warned him, "He is going to try and make you look bad to his Lordship, you should do your best to stay away from him."

"Yes, I am sure his Lordship would love to use me beating up his valet as another reason I am unsuitable for his daughter." He then sincerely said to Anna, "Thank you for reminding me."

"He thinks he's so high and mighty with his promotion. At least Mr. Carson has control over him this time."

"It won't last forever. Mr. Bates will come back and Thomas will be pushed back down.." Tom assured her.

"I know. I keep telling myself that every minute that goes by brings me closer to that day." Anna said wistfully.

Tom gave her an encouraging smile and then thought it was time he rejoined his wife, who was excitedly telling Mrs. Patmore about some of the new recipes she learned. He was happy to see that at least she was getting a more relaxed reception down here. It seemed that although her family had mainly been very welcoming on the surface, on the inside everyone was on edge. Looking out for whatever word or action would trigger the great row that they were sure was going to happen at some point. But he was going to do his best to prove them wrong.


	4. Part IV

"Evening Mrs. Patmore, Daisy. It sounds like you might as well have an extra pair of hands in the kitchen while we're here."

"Erm, hello, Mr. Branson, it's good to see you." Mrs. Patmore had become slightly wary of the Irishman ever since the incident with the General and how he sabotaged her food in order to try and hurt someone of such importance.

Tom could tell that he had, for some reason, dampened the mood, and tried to lighten it. "You know, I owe you two some thanks in the parts you played in bringing Sybil and I together."

"Really?" Questioned Mrs. Patmore. Even Sybil looked confused.

"Indeed. It was when I saw Sybil cooking with you two that I decided I wanted to marry her."

Sybil blushed slightly and smiled at him.

"Oh how romantic!" Daisy gushed.

Sybil got an idea and became excited, "We should make a cake then! Yes, that would be lovely. And Tom could help this time." When Mrs. Patmore did not immediately agree, Sybil added, "If you want to, of course."

Mrs. Patmore wasn't going to exactly say no though. "Oh no, I would like to, only ...I don't know if I'll have the time to, what with Lady Mary's wedding to prepare for. But I'm sure Daisy would be delighted and able to. Our new girl, Ivy, can help me while you have your fun."

Daisy nodded her head vigorously.

"Very good. I will be looking forward to it, as Tom is, right dear?"

"I can't wait."

"Oh I just love baking cakes, I make then whenever I can-" Sybil started to say, but Tom's mind had already started drifting back to a December night last year, when he came home from work and the scent of freshly made cake greeted him at the door along with his wife, who seemed oddly giddy and anxious as she told him she had an early Christmas present to give him.

_She suggested they sit down on the couch. His eyes swept around their living room, looking for a box or something with a bow on it, but nothing stuck out. "So where are you hiding it?"_

_Suddenly, Sybil seemed quite flustered and wouldn't look him in the eye. "Well, you see...you see...the thing is...you can't exactly see...it. Not yet at least."_

_"Then what's the point of giving it to me early?" He took her hands in his. " Sybil, love, are you all right?" He was aware that she had not been feeling well lately, even though she repeatedly assured him it was nothing to worry about._

_"Yes. It's just that...I have to tell you now. I have to tell you now." He felt like the lest part was more to herself than to him. She tightened her grip on his hands, which returned the pressure in his building anticipation, she took a deep breath, looked him in the eyes, and said, "I'm pregnant."_

_Tom's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. It took him a few tries to form a coherent sentence. "You're-we-baby-we are going to have a baby?"_

_Sybil recalled how he had needed her to assure him that it was indeed him who she wanted to run away with and marry. So much has happened since that night. "Yes." She confirmed._

_He gave a huge grin and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Oh Sybil, how wonderful!" He then started kissing her after each sentence he said. "Thank you. For giving me the best Christmas present I have ever received. Words fail to express how very much I love you."_

_"You don't give yourself enough credit. You've always had a way with words." She matched his smile and then added, "I am glad you like your present." _

_"But it isn't just my present is it? It's just as much mine as it is yours, maybe even more. What I want to know is that you like it."_

_Sybil considered her answer seriously, as she had been ever since she had become aware of it. She had only begun to think about and imagine the numerous changes their lives were going to experience. The dominoes that started falling. But Tom was asking her how she felt right now and she wasn't going to let her thoughts about the future effects hinder her happiness, like how they postponed her accepting Tom's proposal. Besides, she didn't know if she could put a dampener on Tom's happiness even if she wanted to. "Of course. It's my favorite Christmas present too."_

Back in the kitchen, Sybil started to finish the conversation. "Oh, before I go, I should let you know that lately, I've been craving strawberries. I would go out and buy them myself, but I'm afraid my family will not want me out of their sights for long."

"Don't worry, we will order them right away mil-Mrs. Branson" Daisy was quick to correct herself after Mrs. Patmore softly elbowed her.

"Thank you. I think we'll leave you now so that you can finish cleaning up without us getting in the way."

Mrs. Patmore smiled in thanks. "Good night Mr. and Mrs. Branson."

"Night." Tom said in return and then Sybil bid everyone else in the room a good night. They started to walk towards the stairs, but only managed to take two steps when O'Brien shouted "Wait, milady!" and rushed over to them.

Sybil and Tom took a step back and then stared in confusion as O'Brien knelt down and reached for a spoon that lay a foot from where Sybil stood. It must have been dropped during the clean-up. Once O'Brien straightened up, she explained, "I wouldn't want you to step on it and fall, milady."

"Oh, why thank you, O'Brien."

Once the door at the top of the stairs closed behind the Bransons, Thomas turned to O'Brien and looked at her expectantly.

"Although I don't approve of her choice of husband, you are to leave Lady Sybil alone."

"I wasn't going to bother with her much anyway." That much was true. During his time working at the hospital with the youngest Crawley, he had come to respect her, especially when after she had tried to stand up for him concerning the incident with Lieutenant Courtney. "But why are you so adamant about it?"

"I don't want any trouble brought upon her Ladyship's first grandchild."

"My my, your love for her is far reaching."

O'Brien didn't necessarily see it as far reaching. It was more like a form of redemption. "Come on, we best be heading up."

Once they turned down the hallway to their room, the Bransons saw Lady Grantham walking towards them from the opposite end.

When they were close enough, Cora said, "Oh good, I was just on my way to say goodnight. And how nice it is to say it in person again!"

"Yes, it will be quite sad when we have to go back."

"Oh, don't say that when you've only just arrived! I don't even want to think about you leaving!"

"Sorry, Mama. But thank you for inviting us, really."

"Oh my dear," Cora hugged her daughter, "you should be able to come here whenever you like." She reached over to put a hand on Tom's shoulder, "Both of you." Cora stepped back. "Just give him time. It's all just a lot for him to take in.

"We know."

Branson nodded at his wife's words. While they were on the subject of his Lordship, he decided to ask his mother-in-law, "Are you sure Lord Grantham is okay with us staying in the same room?"

Cora waved him off, "Of course. You must excuse his behavior about it earlier,like I said, he's just having trouble accepting how grown up his little girl is. Besides, he and I share a room, so he would be quite the hypocrite if he insisted on separate rooms." She directed her next statement towards her daughter, "Speaking of sleep, I suggest you get as much as possible while you still can."

Sybil wanted to roll her eyes. "Don't worry, Mama, Tom and his mother have been constantly reminding me."

Cora nodded in approval. "Well good for them. Good night."

"Good night, Mama."

"Good night."

Robert Crawley found himself being awoken earlier than usual when he heard what he thought was a door closing. As he gathered his senses he also realized that his wife was no longer in bed. She never wakes up before him. Unless something is wrong..His mind started presenting him with his imaginings of the night Mr. Pamuk died and how Cora went to help Mary. He prayed to God that nothing like that would ever happen again, but if it were, he wanted to know about it right away. Robert got out of bed, put his robe on, and went to follow his wife.

He caught a glimpse of her turning the corner that led to the girls' rooms. His pace increased, but she remained unaware of his presence. When he too rounded the corner, he asked in a sharp whisper, "What on earth is going on?"

Cora jumped in surprise but was relieved to see it was only her husband and not one of the servants. "Nothing. Go back to bed." He started to turn to go back, but decided not to and saw Cora continue to quietly walk down the hallway until she stopped in front of Sybil's door. She leaned forward and looked to be straining to hear inside the room. When he came up next to her, with his eyebrows still raised in question, she whispered, "I just wanted to...check on them."

It dawned of him that Cora merely wanted a peak into their youngest daughter's new life. While Robert didn't approve of her plan, he found himself leaning closer to the door, his curiosity getting the better of him.

For a minute or two, he couldn't hear anything. They were probably sleeping in. He was about to advise Cora to leave them be when he heard what he figured to be a drawer slamming shut.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Tom turned his head towards the bed and hoped that the noise hadn't woken his wife. It had.

"Why are you writing so early in the morning?" Sybil mumbled. Tom usually worked on his articles and letters at night.

"Sorry to wake you, love, I was just looking for an envelope in your desk here and one of the drawers got a bit stuck."

"I've always had trouble with that one. Envelopes should be on the left. Who are you writing to?"

"My mother. Though, I haven't signed it yet, in case you wanted to add to it."

"I do. I'm afraid your mother won't rest easy until she's heard from the both of us. She was so sad to see us go."

"I'm sure she'll throw us some sort of party when we get back."

"Yes, but I don't think we'll be the guest of honor."

Tom stood up, walked over, and sat on the side of the bed next to Sybil. "Mhm. And rightfully so."

Sybil's smile was cut short by a yawn, at which Tom said, "Why don't you sleep some more? It's still early and no one would argue against it after all the traveling we did yesterday."

"A bit longer certainly wouldn't hurt. And will you be joining us?"

"Maybe. It is a very enticing offer. I wouldn't want to go down to breakfast all my myself after all." Tom said cheekily.

"I wouldn't want you too either."

"Who knows, they could be waiting, circling above me, until I'm alone, so they can swoop in and catch me." He joked.

Sybil laughed at the image. "Goodness, you make them sound like they're vultures!" Her expression then softened and she said, "I love you so much for doing this though. I know it's hard for you, and it's hard for me too, but I can tell that they are trying and they're..."

"They're your family." Tom finished. "I know. And the worst part of it is over. We're here and we've made it to today in pretty good shape I think."  
"I suppose we have."

"Glad we are in agreement. And I love you, both of you, very much. Now let's get some sleep while we still can!"

Back on the other side of the door, Lord and Lady Grantham straightened up. Cora smiled to herself and then looked at her husband, trying to gauge his reaction to everything they had heard.

Neither of them moved for several seconds until Robert finally spoke, "Maybe we should go back to bed as well."

Cora gave him a tight-lipped smile and started walking back to their room. As he followed her, he started to really process what his daughter and his son-in-law had said. They seemed to be very happy with each other. Maybe he should try to rein in his opposition and observe them more. Maybe even give them a warmer welcome than yesterday. But he wasn't going to raise the white flag just yet.

* * *

**A/N: So that's it! Thank you all for reading and reviewing, especially Duchess and Candy, whom I am not able to send personal replies to! If you are interested, I have ideas for a Sybil/Branson one-shot, so keep an eye out while you're on here waiting for season 3 like me!**


End file.
